I' 
AMERICAN AGRIC1J LTURIST. 
gmgitefr to tntjjrotc tyt farmer, tlje flanter, attD tlje (Sar&mr. 
AGRICULTURE IS THE MOST HEALTHY. THE MOST USEFUL, AND THE MOST NOBLE EMPLOYMENT OF MAN. — Washington 
ORANGE JUDD, A. M., ) 
CONDUCTING EDITOR. ) 
Published Weekly by Allen & Co., No. 189 Water-st. | ™ 
THE JOINT EDITORIAL SUPERVISION OP 
B. ALLEN & ORANGE JUDD. 
VOL. XIII.— NO. 26.] NEW-YORK, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7, 1855. [NEW SERIES.-NO. 78. 
For some Special Notices designed 
for this number, see page 407. 
DIFFERENT KINDS OF FOOD FOR SOILING. 
Wheat and Rye. —The earliest food 
which can be depended upon in the spring, 
for soiling, is wheat or rye. We much pre¬ 
fer the former, as it is sweeter and more nu¬ 
tritious ; nor does the straw become tough 
and harsh so soon as rye ; it consequently 
lasts longer. 
Cultivation. —If the ground be not already 
rich, it should be made so. It cannot be made 
too rich for this purpose. Plow deep, har¬ 
row fine, and then roll. Now take an extra 
quantity of seed, and sow broadcast, as early 
as the last of August or the first week in 
September. Plow this in about three inches 
deep with a three-furrow plow; leave the 
land in its rough state, without harrowing or 
rolling. By using an extra quantity of seed, 
the stalks grow finer, sweeter, and more 
tender ; and by leaving the land rough, the 
plant is not so likely to winter-kill. Plowing 
in the seed has a further advantage; the 
plant strikes a deeper root, and consequently 
grows stronger than if lightly harrowed in ; 
it also comes up in rows, as if drilled, which 
gives the air a much better opportunity to 
circulate among the stalks; thus promoting 
a more rapid and better growth. However 
rank the grain may grow in the fall, it is not 
advisable to feed it off in the slightest degree, 
except in a southern climate. North, the 
grain requires all' of its fall growth to pro¬ 
tect it during the winter, and insure a vigor¬ 
ous and rapid start in the spring. 
Orchard Grass, Lucerne, Ray Grass, 
and Clover. —These grasses come forward 
first in spring in the order mentioned, al¬ 
though they ripen for hay about the same 
time. In a very early season, we have had 
orchard grass in a dry, warm, rich soil, two 
feet high, and fit for soiling in the latitude 
of 40° 30’, by the last of April; it however 
cannot generally be depended upon in this 
latitude before the last of May. 
Cultivation. —For Orchard and Ray grass 
the land must be rich, clean, and well pul¬ 
verized. Sow each kind by itself, at the rate 
of at least two bushels of seed per acre, early 
in the fall or spring, then harrow and roll. 
Neither clover nor other seed should be 
sown with these grasses ; and it is import¬ 
ant that the seed be sown thick ; otherwise 
it will come up in tufts, and in a few years 
be almost entirely rooted out by other grass¬ 
es. The yield is very large when properly 
cultivated. We have taken upwards of three 
tons per acre of well-cured hay of the for¬ 
mer. For hay, neither of these grasses is 
quite so good as Timothy, herdsgrass or red 
top. This ray grass must not be confound¬ 
ed with rye grass nor oat grass. It is much 
superior to either, and makes the finest and 
best of lawns for our country. It is now 
in great request in this vicinity for the pur¬ 
pose of soiling. 
Clover should be sown the last of Febru¬ 
ary, or early in March, just after a fall of 
snow, if possible, at the rate of ten to six¬ 
teen pounds of seed per acre, at least. 
Whenever there is frost upon it, especially 
in the spring, not a hoof should be allowed 
to cross nor nibble it till the sun has dried off 
the frost. We have seen a small flock of 
sheep ruin a whole field in a single hour, by 
pasturing it on a frosty morning. 
The cultivation of lucerne is attended with 
too much trouble to find favor at the high 
price of labor in the United States. It re¬ 
quires a very rich, deep, warm soil, prepared 
in the best manner. Sow fifteen to twenty 
pounds of seed per acre, in drills, nine to 
eighteen inches apart, the last of April or 
first of May, in this climate. Hoe it well 
during the summer, and keep it clear of 
weeds ; otherwise they will check its growth, 
or almost entirely kill it. The following year, 
it may be cut several times during the season 
of its growth. After each cutting, liquid 
manure, or a light rich compost spread over 
it, is very valuable. 
Indian Corn. —By sowing the earlier va¬ 
rieties for the first sowings, this may be had 
from the fore part of July till late in Novem¬ 
ber. The proper time for cutting corn for 
soiling, is when the ear is well set on the 
stalk, and the grain is in milk. If cut before 
this, it is apt to scour the stock, and it is not 
so nutritious for them. 
Cultivation. —Plow very deep—subsoil if 
possible—you cannot make the land too rich. 
Sow the earlier varieties in drills from twelve 
to eighteen inches apart ; the latter from 
eighteen to thirty inches ; keep the ground 
clear of weeds, either by the hand cultivator 
or hoes. To sow in drills is far better than 
broadcast, as the air then circulates freely 
among the stalks, and makes a much health¬ 
ier and better growth. The varieties of 
sweet corn are decidedly superior for soiling 
as the stalks are sweeter and more nutritious. 
Not so great a growth of stalks, perhaps, 
can be got per acre ; but the superior quality 
of the stalks and ears more than compen¬ 
sates for the deficiency in quantity. 
Millet. —Prepare the ground as for orchard 
grass, and sow broadcast, or in drills, six 
inches apart, from the last of April to the 
first of July. It may be harrowed, or plowed 
in like wheat, only not so deep by one 
inch. It should be cut for soiling when the 
stalks are in flower, or just as going out of 
flower. 
Oats and Buckwheat. —Sow and cultivate 
the same as millet. 
There are other grains and grasses which 
may be profitably cultivated for soiling, but 
the above are the most important. 
Of pumpkins, eymlins, squashes, sugar 
beets, and other roots which ripen in the fall, 
we shall not at present speak, as it would 
make this article too long. 
Treatment of Stock under the Soiling Sys¬ 
tem. —Stock, when soiled, should have a free 
range of a few acres at least. Exercise in 
the open air, the greater part of the day, is 
essential to their good health and thrift 
Their food may be thrown in small bundles 
on the clean grass ground ; but a better man¬ 
ner for feeding is, to place the food in com¬ 
mon hay ricks, standing on legs two or three 
feet from the ground. There is much less 
waste by adopting this method. If fed in 
stalks, the corn stalks are better cut up 
fine before feeding, in a machine made ex¬ 
pressly for this purpose. Every particle of 
them will then be consumed with avidity. 
Green food should always be given fresh 
cut; if allowed to lie a few hours, and be¬ 
come half wilted, it is injurious to stock, 
causing disease, and sometimes death. Be 
very careful not to feed too much at a time, 
otherwise it may produce hoven. If soiled 
entirely, stock ought to be fed five times a 
day. 
ENGRAVINGS FOR THE AMERICAN HERD BOOK • 
We learn that Mr. L. F. Allen has en¬ 
gaged Mr. John R. Page, of Sennett, N. Y., 
to go to Kentucky, Ohio, and other States, 
to take sketches for engraving of Short 
Horn bulls and cows for his forthcoming 
volume of the American Herd Book. Mr. 
P. sketches admirably, for an example of 
which, we would refer to the portrait of 
Balco, on page 329 of this volume. 
Those who wish to i>lace their stock ad¬ 
vantageously before the public, will do well 
to have their pedigrees properly recorded in 
the next volume of the American Herd Book. 
Few in the United States see the English 
Herd Book, the cost of which, complete, is 
about $60. All good animals should hence¬ 
forth find a placeJn our own country’s Herd 
Book, where Americans can see their record 1 
